Not Just You
by Iwillbelieveit
Summary: After graduating high school, Tom Tupper gave up M.I.9, his best friends and the girl he loved. When he left for college, he thought he'd given them up for good. When three all-too-familiar faces show up his doorstep seven years later, he discovers that you can't run from your past and you can't run from the people who love you. Rated T for sexual references and swearing.


**Don't ask me where this cam from because I have no idea. All of a sudden, I got this idea of 'What if Tom decided to go to college instead of continuing with M.I.9 after he graduated?' and then I got this. I hope you like this and please tell me what you think.**

I sighed and tugged my collar up against the cold wind, diving my hands into my pockets and ducking my head as I made my way to my apartment a block away. I tried to ignore the memories that had been plaguing me all day, making it almost impossible to concentrate on my classes. But they weren't memories that I was particularly happy to be remembering, because they reminded me of what I had given up.

They were memories of high school, and of M.I.9.

I knew why they were turning up today, of all days. Of course I knew.

Exactly seven years ago, I was recruited to M.I.9's M. program.

And three years ago, once I finished high school, I quit M.I.9 altogether.

I managed to shake the memories as I got the feeling that somebody was following me. I spun around, but found that no one was behind me. Every instinct told me that someone was near, watching me. I shrugged it off as I turned back around; walking towards the apartment building I lived in. I fished in my jacket pocket for my keys, but came up with nothing. As I started to check the pockets of my jeans, I heard small pieces of metal clanging against each other and a vaguely familiar voice ask, "Looking for these?"

I froze, my head snapping up in surprise. There, was my high school best friend, but he had changed. He was taller and more muscular than I remembered. His hair was shorter, the front of it swept back off his forehead. But it was still the same blonde it always was and from his hand, dangled my house keys.

I raised an eyebrow, shaking off my initial shock at seeing him. "Really, Dan? I never thought pick-pocketing was your style."

"Actually, that was me." Said a soft voice. I looked to the side of Dan, immediately recognising the red head next to him. Apparently, Dan wasn't the only one who had changed. Zoe had grown her fringe out so it framed her face instead of lying atop her forehead, which had lost the little baby fat her cheeks had held on to all through high school. She'd filled out over the past five years. She didn't have the completely straight body that she used to, she now had slight curves around her hips. Her sleeves were pushed up and where there should have been bright yellow writing on her arm, there was a black floral patterned tattoo over the top of it, completely covering it. I remembered Zoe saying that as soon as she hit eighteen, she had wanted to tattoo over the mark. I saw Zoe's hand intertwined with Dan's and I wasn't surprised to find that they were still together. Zoe was Dan's high school sweetheart and last time I checked, he would have done anything for her. Even after five years, that was apparently still true.

"Hi Tom."

I glanced towards the dark-skinned girl and tried to ignore the pang in my chest as I saw her. They all looked sad, but Aneisha looked the saddest of all. Her black hair tumbled around her shoulders, longer than it used to be and her brown eyes sparkled with unshed tears. She had filled out too, but her curves were more prominent than Zoe's. As my heart thundered against my chest, I realised that she probably wouldn't care for her high-school boyfriend anymore, who had broken her heart and left her at the end of Senior Year. She probably had a new boyfriend, one who was much stronger and taller than me.

I dragged my attention back to Dan, and he threw me the keys, a look of disgust crossing his face, as if the metal had infected him with some horrible, highly-contagious virus.

"What happened to you, Tom?" Zoe asked. "Why didn't you call, write, e-mail –"

"- Anything?" Dan finished.

I shrugged. "I got busy with my classes."

"Not every day of the year for five years straight!" Dan yelled. Zoe touched his chest to calm him and I raised my eyebrows when I saw the engagement ring glittering on her forth finger.

"Engagement. Congrats. So what, you've come for your best man?" I asked.

Dan glared at me, a gaze he would've usually reserved for KORPS agents. "If you really wanted to be my best man, you would've kept in touch, Tom. Do you know how many times the girls cried themselves to sleep? You left Neish, broke her heart. And Zoe, you were one of her first friends. You trusted her before I did. Do you ever think about how that might have affected her? But what about me? Is it fair that the only _real _best friend I've ever had up and leaves right after high school?"

He stepped towards me. "If you really cared, you've at least kept in touch."

He lunged forward and smashed his fist in my nose, knocking me to the ground. He climbed on top of me and tried to punch me again, but I threw him off. Dan wasn't the only one who time worked to their advantage. I wasn't the same scrawny, weak computer geek I'd been in high school.

I kicked Dan in the gut as he rolled to his feet. As I stumbled to my feet, someone jumped between Dan and I. Dan immediately stopped, his chest heaving with exertion.

Zoe looked from Dan to me and back again. "You two used to be best friends. We are going to sort this out like responsible adults."

"Zoe . . ." Dan started, reaching up and tracing the tattoo on her arm.

Zoe shoved his hand away. "No. You can't hurt him without hurting me."

Immediately, Dan shut up. We all knew that Dan would rather be burned alive than hurt Zoe. He took a step back, but he glared at me still.

I stepped away, towards the door and unlocked it. I ushered them all upstairs, to my second-floor apartment. I unlocked the door and they walked in, glancing around the small space. Well, Aneisha did. Dan settled himself on the couch and Zoe sat in his lap, her arm around his neck. I sat in the arm chair as Aneisha sat on the couch beside Dan.

"Why'd you leave M.I.9?" Aneisha asked finally, her voice barely above a whisper.

"To go to college. Look, I understand if you guys hate me, but just hear me out. I came to college because the one time I said about _not _going to college, my parents went ballistic. They thought it was ridiculous that a kid that smart shouldn't go to college. More than anything, I wanted to stay at M.I.9. I wanted to keep saving the world, to keep stopping people like Mastermind and Crime Minister and The Grand Master, but I couldn't. My family would have gotten suspicious if I hadn't come."

"But that doesn't explain your inability to make contact with your best friends, the people who stood by you no matter what." Dan said. I glanced at him. His expression was softer but he still looked angry.

I shrugged. "At first I was just too busy. And then when I had the time, I was ashamed. So much time had passed and I was ashamed that I hadn't made time to contact you all. I'm sorry, Dan. I was your best friend and I blew it."

I looked to Zoe, tears sparkling in her green eyes. "I'm sorry Zoe. I was one of your first friends and I should have realised how much that would affect you."

I turned to Aneisha, tears already leaving trails down her cheeks. My fingers twitched to brush them away, but I forced them into my lap as I leaned forward. "Neish, I'm sorry . . . for everything. I never should have left you, I should have kept every promise I ever made. I should have gone with my instincts that kept telling me to stay with you, while you still loved me."

I glanced down as tears started rolling down my own cheeks. I brushed them away angrily, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Thomas." Aneisha said softly. I looked up as she sat on my knee, her finger tracing my jaw delicately. "I never stopped loving you, Tom."

And then her lips were crushing against mine, with the same gentleness and love I remembered from we'd both been young and been carefree when we were together.

I wound my arm around her waist as she drew back slowly, glancing down at me with a small smile on her face. "I forgive you, Tom Tupper."

I smiled up at her. "I love you."

Aneisha smiled and I looked at Dan and Zoe. Dan was smiling knowingly as I remembered a conversation we'd had when he and Zoe had started dating.

"_Dan! Earth to Daniel!" I yelled._

"_Huh? What?" Dan asked, looking away from where he was staring at Zoe._

"_Dude, you're whipped." I told him, grinning._

"_Am not." Dan said._

"_Are too."_

"_Being in love's different to being whipped, Thomas." Dan said. I shut up because I had no answer to that._

"It's not just you guys. I did miss you. Every day. All I've ever really wanted was to go back to M.I.9."

"Please come back." Aneisha whispered.

I looked from her to Dan.

"Please Tom." Dan whimpered softly. "I want my best friend back."

I looked at Zoe, whose green eyes were filled with so much hope that it made my heart ache.

"Okay." I said, smiling. "I'll come back to M.I.9."

"Yay!" Dan yelled, flinging himself towards me. Zoe slipped off his lap in time to avoid being thrown to the floor and I grunted as I felt his weight on top of me. I shoved him off because his weight, combined with Aneisha's, was too much for my body to take.

Dan landed on the ground and glanced back at Zoe before looking back at me.

Then Dan grinned. "So, Tom. Wanna be my best man?"

**So what'd you think?**


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